Global Setting Essay Example for Free

Global Setting Essay With the rapid expansion of globalization coupled with an amazing digital revolution, the civilization has taken a quantum leap to land in an era where the world seems to be a global village. Consequently, this new era demands a matching code of conduct from humans, of which the format would be new but the content would be based on ancient values. This is because, the modern lifestyle is full of all kind of communications 24/7, ranging from home, office, family, business associate, society, etc. Human activities have risen to a great height these days, thanks to the state-of-the art communication systems, which expanded and fastened the entire communication process, all the while wiping away physical boundaries of regions and creating a cross-cultural platform for the civilization. All of the above clearly show how much important it is to be culturally competent in the modern world to make the most of the advancement of science and technology. However, at the core of cultural competency remains the ancient set of values, which acts like the steering wheel of human mind and thus the set of values commands primary attention, which contains the elements like personal values, organizational values, cultural values and ethics. This essay explores the nuances of the above elements before analyzing how an individual can reconcile them in a global setting. Background Even as the personal, organizational and cultural values and ethics sound somewhat similar, each of them is unique in its own way. For example, Ethics is the study of the choices people make regarding right and wrong (Paul Elder, 2003, p. 11). Accordingly, it is open to individual interpretation, since determination of right and wrong or good and bad is subjective. This is where the humans need some set principles that would guide them especially in the modern global setting, where people from various cultures work together. It is here the organizational values and ethics differ from the personal ethics – which adopts its own set of values and ethics that would suit their multicultural workplace environment. Accordingly the researchers opine, Organizations are often considered monoliths that have their own persona, values and ethics†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kruckeberg, 1998, p. 47). However, the universally accepted premise of ethics like doing maximum good for maximum people maintains its place – though again there may be different interpretation of that concept due to different cultural connotations – for example if a vegetarian considers eating non-vegetarian food as unethical, then that would be personal interpretation or choice of the person, besides being a subject of private practice. Now the global setting might bring in the said person with said set of values in such a workplace where most people like non-vegetarian dishes, thereby presenting another interpretation of personal value. However in both the cases the central idea would remain common – that food is our source of sustenance. It is because of such situations amid global setting, the researchers stress on maintaining ethical guidelines in the workplace or in a multicultural society. Accordingly the companies adopt ethical models to establish their ethical culture that would dictate its ethical norms and the employee behavior (Trevino, 1986; Hunt and Vitell, 1986). According to Paul Elder (2002, p. 13), this helps individuals to lessen their attention to the importance of individual judgment in ethical decision-making and instead, concentrate on the organizational ethics. Another important aspect of such models is that they help the members of the organizations to avoid the role-conflict arising out of the differences between organizational ethical culture and personal ethical philosophies. Personal Ethical Perspective Personal ethical perspective depends on the degree of ethical awareness in a person, where s/he might base it either on what it is good to be or what it is good to do, towards attaining moral excellence. However, there are more dimensions to it, since there are various theories that explain the issue in their own way. For example, utilitarian concept can influence a person to see ethics from any of the four angles like Pleasure concept of Jeremy Benthan, Happiness concept of John Stuart Mill, Ideals concept of G. E. Moore, or Preference concept of Kenneth Arrow (Utilitarianism, 2008). However, all of the above dimensions carry the basic insight of utilitarianism, which suggests that the purpose of morality is to make the world a better place and therefore, humans should work towards that direction (Ethics, 2006). Organizational Code of Ethics Organizational code of ethics is a set of standards, rules, guidelines, and values that govern and guide ethical business behavior in a company, profession, or organization of its employees, interactions among the employees, and interactions between the employees and the general public (12MANAGE, 2009). Thus it is distinctly different from the personal code of ethics in the sense that it evolves from the organizational culture – as Trevino would put it, ethical culture is a subset of organizational culture, representing a multidimensional interplay among various formal and informal systems of behavior control that are capable of promoting ethical or unethical behavior (Trevino et al. , 1995, p. 12). Thus here the values are imposed and the employees have the responsibility to align them with their own set of values. However, it is always expected that the code of ethics maintained in a company would never miss the central theme of ethics, i. e. , maximum good for maximum number of people. Mechanism of Personal Ethical Philosophies An understanding on the mechanism of individual difference in personal ethical philosophies is very important towards reconciling the values. The above can be framed by two factors like idealism and relativism, says Forsyth (1980), where he underpins idealism as the indicator of the magnitude of an individuals concern regarding an action, and how the consequence of that action affects the welfare of others. For example, a low idealistic individual might endorse harmful action with the belief that such action would bring greater good, while a high idealistic individual would always believe the opposite and pass on only those actions that would lead to positive consequences. (Forsyth, 1980; Forsyth, 1992). Forsyth (1980) takes relativism as the indicator of the magnitude of an individuals concern regarding accepting or rejecting the universal moral principles. For example, high relativistic individuals would be open to admit that there are more than one ways to perceive the concept of ethics and moral actions, since ethics are dependent on the nature of the situation. On the other hand, low relativistic people would believe in moral absolutes, and would base their ethical decision making process on fixed principles (Forsyth, 1992). The above understanding generates the idea that towards reconciling all values, the individuals need to accommodate the facts like there are many ways to perceive ethics as different situations influence human perception. However, here comes the issue of role conflict, or the fear of losing ones own personal set of values and ethics, since the theories on ethics suggest that organizational code of conduct or norms of ethics affect the personal ethical philosophies of its members, and eventually re-shape their ethical judgment and behavior (Hunt and Vitell, 1986; Baucus and Near 1991). While role conflict emerges when humans find themselves incompatible to the requests, policies and expectations of others (Rizzo et al. , 1970), it is here Forsyths (1980) concept comes in handy, as one can exploit it to find what type of people would go for what – for example, a high-relativistic individual may excuse an unethical decision if that serves their self-interest – since they are the ones who accommodate multiple concept of ethics and believe that ethical actions depend on the specific situations (Barnett et al. , 1996). This shows that high-relativists are less likely to suffer from role conflict due to their adaptive attitude regarding ethics. On the other hand, high-idealists, who prefer to operate on fixed principles of ethics, stand to suffer from role conflict, since the values that their organizations prescribe to maintain may go beyond their fixed set of values (Schermerhorn et al. , 2002, p. 63). Cultural Values Cultural values may influence the making of an idealist or relativist of different magnitudes, yet it has its limitation, since it is mostly confined by geographical boundaries. Therefore, multiculturalism can always extend ones perception of values much in the mold of Chinese delicacies that have become a common feature across the globe. There is another reason – no one is actually forced to remain within the boundaries of ones own culture and thus, the positive sides of other cultures have enough potential to convert even the high-idealists to high-relativists! The above state of affairs clearly shows that reconciliation of personal, organizational, and cultural values and ethics depends on several factors like below: 1. Ones own personal state of belief; 2. Ones own understanding of the concept of ethics; 3. The intensity of it in the persons decision-making process; 4. The nature of the value-set prescribed by the organization; 5. Proximity and involvement to the primary culture; 6. Appropriate training of cultural comepetency. Conclusion While managing cultural values does not seem to be a daunting task (one can easily maintain a good chunk of them in private), the issue of managing personal and organizational values amid global setting may be difficult if people dont prepare them accordingly. And, going by the theorists, this journey seems to start from high-idealist point to high-relativists, and thus, it can also be assumed that there is always the possibility to misjudge the situation or to be driven by the philosophy of convenience. Therefore, the individuals themselves should set their line of control on the scale of high-idealist to high-relativist. A balance in them is always desirable to get the maximum out of the current global setting. For that matter, members of organizations need to learn and practice decision-making in real-life situations. There are several cultural competency training modules available, like Kwongs Model (Kwong, 2008) or Griggs Model (2005) that work towards developing the cultural sensitivity and awareness among the subjects. Apart from that, good knowledge on applicable ethics theories, such as Dialogic Theory (Buber, 1955) can come in handy, because it helps to underpin the state of communication and to act accordingly. Therefore, in todays multicultural global setting, humans require to trade cautiously on the multidimensional sphere of ethics to achieve happiness, peace and prosperity. References 12MANAGE. (2009). Web document. Retrieved June 21, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.12manage.com/description_code_of_ethics.html Barnett, T., Bass, K., Brown, G.. (1996). Religiosity, personal moral philosophy, and intentions to report a peers wrong doing. Journal of Business Ethics, 15, 1161-  Ã‚   1174. Baucus, M. S., Near, LP. (1991). Can illegal corporate behavior be predicated? An   Ã‚  Ã‚   event history analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 34 (1): 9-36. Buber, M. (1955). Dialogue. In Between Man and Man. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Ethics Matters. (2006). Web archive. Retrieved June 21, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://ethics.sandiego.edu/theories/Utilitarianism/

Financial Ratio Analysis And Industry Averages Finance Essay

Financial Ratio Analysis And Industry Averages Finance Essay The price earning P/E ratio shows how attractive a firms stock is for investment. The P/E of Etisalat has increased from previous year 2009 which shows that in 2010 Etisalat has become more attractive for investments. Profitability Ratios Return on Common Equity (ROCE or ROE) ROE = Earnings after Tax à · Equity Shareholders fund x 100 This ratio shows the rate of return of the risk takers also referred to as the stockholders (Sinha, 2009). The ratio shows the stockholders or investors the rate of return of their investments in stocks of Etisalat. The following table shows the ROE ratio for Etisalat: Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Profitability ROE 20.41 22.17 The above table clearly shows that the rate of return for the shareholders of Etisalat has reduced from 22.17% in 2009 to 20.41% in 2010. Therefore the risk of investment in stocks of Etisalat has increased in 2010 comparing with the ratio of 2009. ROA (Return on Total Assets) Return on Total Assets (ROA) = (Net Income à · Total Assets) x 100 Higher ROA indicates the higher return on Assets, this ratio must be above the industry average to show greater returns on Assets (Brigham Houston, 2009). Note: another reason for a low ROA could also indicate the intentional use of debt for financing activities of a firm. The following table shows the ROA calculated for Etisalat. Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Profitability ROA 9.74 12.40 The ROA for Etisalat has reduced in 2010 to 9.74% from 12.40% in 2009, which shows the reduced rate of return on assets, indicating the poor performance of Etisalat also showing the use of debt by the firm. Liquidity Ratios: Current ratio Current Ratio = Current Assets à · Current Liabilities The ratio shows the weak or stronger liquidity position of a firm, higher the current liabilities lower the current ratio and vice versa. The calculated ratios of Etisalat are shown in the following table: Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Liquidity Current Ratio 0.79 0.83 The liquidity position of Etisalat has reduce negatively when comparing current ratio of 0.79x in 2010 with 0.83x in 2009, consequently the ability of Etisalat to convert its assets into cash has reduced. Quick Ratio Quick, or acid test, ratio = (Current assets Inventories) à · Current Liabilities Quick Ratio also depicts the liquidity position of the firm to pay off short-term liabilities without relying on sales (inventories). The following table shows the calculated Quick Ratio for Etisalat. Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Liquidity Quick Ratio 0.78 0.82 Acid test of Etisalat revealed that the liquidity of the firm to pay shot-term liabilities has reduced from 0.82x in 2009 to 0.78x in 2010. Asset Management Ratios Inventory Turnover Ratio Inventory Turnover Ratio = Sales à · Inventories This ratio shows the number of times inventories are turned over into sales, and higher value shows that the inventories are being held for longer times. The Inventory turnover ratio of Etisalat is shown by the following table. Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Asset Management Inventory Turnover Ratio 100.96 115.03 The ratios in the table clearly show the ability of Etisalat to convert inventories into sales has increased shown by declining Inventory Turnover Ratio of 100.96x in 2010 from 115.03x in 2009. Debt Management Ratios Total Debt to Total Assets Debt ratio = Total Debt à · Total Assets This ratio shows in percentage the risk level faced by the firm, the debt ratio of Etisalat is shown with the help of following table: Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Debt Management Total Debt to Total Assets Ratio 6.34 4.52 The values in the table above show that the risk of investing in Etisalat has increased from 4.52% in 2009 to 6.34% in 2010. Financial Profile Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC and its Subsidiary The financial profile of Emirates Telecommunication is presented by the data retrieved from financial statements of the firm. Financial Ratio Analysis Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC and its Subsidiary 2010 and 2009 Data retrieved from the Financial Statements 2010 2009 AED000 AED000 Current Assets 4,671,779 2,224,887 Total Assets 12,519,678 9,531,905 Current Liabilities 6,441,462 3,676,842 Total Liabilities 7,423,911 6,740,365 Inventories 47,300 38,931 Sales Revenue 7,074,097 5,338,699 Interest 102,199 12,998 EPS AED 0.31 AED 0.06 N.I. 1,310,431 264,124 Market Value Per Share AED 2.72 AED 2.79 Total Shareholder Equity 5,095,767 2,791,540 Total Debt 904,735 3,000,000 The ratio analysis is conducted on the basis of data retrieved in the table bove. Ratio Analysis of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC and its Subsidiary: Market Value Ratios: P/E Ratio (P/E) Price/Earnings Ratio = Market Price Per Common Share à · Earnings Per Share The share price of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications for the year ended 31 December, 2009 was AED 2.786 and 31 December, 2010 AED 2.72 (Bloomberg, 2013). The following table shows the calculated P/E for Etisalat. Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Market Value P/E 8.77 46.43 The price earning P/E ratio shows how attractive a firms stock is for investment. The P/E of Emirates Telecommunication has reduced drastically from previous year 46.43x in 2009 to 8.77x in 2010 which shows that in 2010 Emirates Telecommunication has become less attractive for investments. Profitability Ratios Return on Common Equity (ROCE or ROE) ROE = Earnings after Tax à · Equity Shareholders fund x 100 This ratio shows the stockholders or investors the rate of return of their investments in stocks of Emirates Telecommunication. The following table shows the ROE ratio for Emirates Telecommunication: Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Profitability ROE 25.72 9.46 The above table clearly shows that the rate of return for the shareholders of Emirates Telecommunication has increased from 9.46% in 2009 to 25.72% in 2010. Therefore the risk of investment in stocks of Emirates has reduced in 2010 comparing with the ratio of 2009. ROA (Return on Total Assets) Return on Total Assets (ROA) = (Net Income à · Total Assets) x 100 The following table shows the ROA calculated for Emirates Telecommunication. Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Profitability ROA 10.47 2.77 The ROA for Emirates Telecommunication has increased in 2010 to 10.47% from 2.77% in 2009, which shows the increased rate of return on assets. Liquidity Ratios: Current ratio Current Ratio = Current Assets à · Current Liabilities The calculated current ratio for Emirates Telecommunication are shown in the following table: Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Liquidity Current Ratio 0.73 0.61 The liquidity position of Emirates Telecommunication has reduce negatively when comparing current ratio of 0.73x in 2010 with 0.61x in 2009, consequently the ability of Emirates Telecommunication to convert its assets into cash has reduced. Quick Ratio Quick, or acid test, ratio = (Current assets Inventories) à · Current Liabilities The following table shows the calculated Quick Ratio for Emirates Telecommunication. Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Liquidity Quick Ratio 0.72 0.59 Acid test of Emirates Telecommunication revealed that the liquidity position of the firm to pay shot-term liabilities has increased from 0.59x in 2009 to 0.72x in 2010, which shows that Emirates Telecommunication is more liquid in 2010. Asset Management Ratios Inventory Turnover Ratio Inventory Turnover Ratio = Sales à · Inventories The Inventory turnover ratio of Emirates Telecommunication is shown by the following table. Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Asset Management Inventory Turnover Ratio 149.56 137.13 The ratios in the table clearly show the ability of Emirates Telecommunication to convert inventories into sales has decreased shown by increasing Inventory Turnover Ratio of 149.56x in 2010 from 137.13x in 2009. Debt Management Ratios Total Debt to Total Assets Debt ratio = Total Debt à · Total Assets The debt ratio of Emirates Telecommunication is shown with the help of following table: Financial Ratios 2010 2009 Debt Management Total Debt to Total Assets Ratio 0.07 0.31 The values in the table above show that the risk of investing in Emirates Telecommunication has reduced from 0.31% in 2009 to 0.07% in 2010. Industry Averages in Telecommunication Industry UAE The industry averages of the telecommunication for P/E, ROE, ROA, Debt Ratio and Current Ratio are: P/E P/E Industry Average Telecommunication Industry UAE 2009 2010 P/E Etisalat 9.69 10.31 P/E Emirates 46.43 8.77 2009 2010 P/E Industry Average 28.06 9.54 ROE ROE 2009 2010 Etisalat 22.17 20.41 Emirates 9.46 25.72 2009 2010 ROE Industry Average 15.815 23.065 ROA ROA 2009 2010 Etisalat 12.4 9.74 Emirates 2.77 10.47 2009 2010 ROA Industry Average 7.585 10.105 Debt Ratio Debt Ratio 2009 2010 Etisalat 4.52 6.34 Emirates 0.31 0.07 2009 2010 Industry Average 2.415 3.205 Current Ratio Current Ratio 2009 2010 Etisalat 0.83 0.79 Emirates 0.61 0.73 2009 2010 Industry Average 0.72 0.76

The Cause, Course, and Consequences of world War II :: World War II WWII WW2

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The Allied Powers consisted of the British Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States of America was known as â€Å"The Big Three†. The Axis Powers consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan, they were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940. There were many causes of World War II. Germany wanted to expand in Europe. Italy wanted to expand in Africa. Japan wanted to expand in Asia & the Pacific. Other causes of the War include: the Treaty of Versailles, rise of dictatorship in Italy and Germany, expansionist policy of the Axis Powers, policy of Appeasement, and the weakness of the League of Nations. Hitler made clear to his generals that victory was the only important thing in war. Victory and Stalemate: while Hitler continued to move his troops eastward, Britain refused to back down under Churchill and Hitler was forced to invade Britain. The British rebuilt the air force and inflicted major losses on the Luffwaffe. Germany had lost the Battle of Britain and postponed the invasion of Britain. War in Asia: Dec. 7, 1941- Pearl Harbor attack. Also attacks on Philippines and advances on Malaya. US declared war on Japan the next day. The Turning Point (1942-1943): The Grand Alliance was created when the U.S. entered. June 4th, Battle of Midway Island, American planes destroyed all 4 attacking Japanese aircraft carriers est. Am. naval superiority in Pacific. Bitter engagements near the Solomon Islands led to faded Japanese fortunes. The Last Years: Axis forces first surrendered in Tunisia on May 13, 1943. Japan surrendered unconditionally on Aug. 14th 1945†¦.marking the end of WWII.

Managing a Multigenerational Workforce Essay -- Business, Workplace Mo

The United States economy has experienced highs and lows throughout the years. These changes affect everyone in one way or another. The U.S. workforce is not exempt from feeling the effects of the economy. Many individuals across the nation have reassessed their career and personal goals due to financial hardships. One major trend developing is that individuals are beginning careers earlier, and ending careers later. The good old days of retiring at sixty-five are replaced with worrying about health care costs and retirements plans, with no retirement date in sight. Many parents are unable to foot the bill for their college-aged children, so the workforce has also seen a jump in young adults entering into the workforce. Nationwide, organizations are witnessing for the first time ever, four different generations working side by side. These generations have been labeled as the veterans or the traditionalist group (born before 1945), the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), generation X (born between 1965 and 1980), and generation Y (born after 1980). As a manager it can be quite challenging to manage four different generations of workers. All four generations have different strengths and weaknesses, so it takes a great manager to merge all of them into one productive team. To be an effective manager of such diverse groups, it takes understanding and appreciating the qualities each generation offers. This review analyzes current research available describing the differences between each generation, how to motivate each generation, and how to effectively merge the generations into one cohesive group. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENERATIONS Currently, in the United States, there are over 1 million workers that are 75 years of age o... ...orce earlier it is a fact of life that managers will encounter a multigenerational workforce at some point. Organizations need to prepare management to be able to handle such diverse populations. It was somewhat surprising to review the literature, and discover most all researchers agree that different generations of employees have different needs and are motivated differently. It is important to note that while researchers agree about generational generalizations, they are just generalizations. A manager needs to be aware of the generalizations about each generation to help them understand, but be careful not to let it become a stereotype and affect the way they approach that employee. The main point is that every employee brings something valuable to the workplace, and managers need to be aware of how to utilize those strengths to the organization’s benefit. Managing a Multigenerational Workforce Essay -- Business, Workplace Mo The United States economy has experienced highs and lows throughout the years. These changes affect everyone in one way or another. The U.S. workforce is not exempt from feeling the effects of the economy. Many individuals across the nation have reassessed their career and personal goals due to financial hardships. One major trend developing is that individuals are beginning careers earlier, and ending careers later. The good old days of retiring at sixty-five are replaced with worrying about health care costs and retirements plans, with no retirement date in sight. Many parents are unable to foot the bill for their college-aged children, so the workforce has also seen a jump in young adults entering into the workforce. Nationwide, organizations are witnessing for the first time ever, four different generations working side by side. These generations have been labeled as the veterans or the traditionalist group (born before 1945), the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), generation X (born between 1965 and 1980), and generation Y (born after 1980). As a manager it can be quite challenging to manage four different generations of workers. All four generations have different strengths and weaknesses, so it takes a great manager to merge all of them into one productive team. To be an effective manager of such diverse groups, it takes understanding and appreciating the qualities each generation offers. This review analyzes current research available describing the differences between each generation, how to motivate each generation, and how to effectively merge the generations into one cohesive group. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENERATIONS Currently, in the United States, there are over 1 million workers that are 75 years of age o... ...orce earlier it is a fact of life that managers will encounter a multigenerational workforce at some point. Organizations need to prepare management to be able to handle such diverse populations. It was somewhat surprising to review the literature, and discover most all researchers agree that different generations of employees have different needs and are motivated differently. It is important to note that while researchers agree about generational generalizations, they are just generalizations. A manager needs to be aware of the generalizations about each generation to help them understand, but be careful not to let it become a stereotype and affect the way they approach that employee. The main point is that every employee brings something valuable to the workplace, and managers need to be aware of how to utilize those strengths to the organization’s benefit.

The Style in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown :: Young Goodman Brown YGB

The Style in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story or tale, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is an interesting example of the multi-faceted style of the author, which will be discussed in this essay.    Edgar Allan Poe in â€Å"Twice-Told Tales - A Review,† which appeared in Graham's Magazine in May, 1842, comments on Hawthorne’s â€Å"originality,† and â€Å"tranquil and subdued manner† which characterize his style:    The Essays of Hawthorne have much of the character of Irving, with more of originality, and less of finish; while, compared with the Spectator, they have a vast superiority at all points. The Spectator, Mr. Irving, and Mr. Hawthorne have in common that tranquil and subdued manner which we have chosen to denominate repose. . . . In the essays before us the absence of effort is too obvious to be mistaken, and a strong undercurrent of suggestion runs continuously beneath the upper stream of the tranquil thesis. In short, these effusions of Mr. Hawthorne are the product of a truly imaginative intellect, restrained, and in some measure repressed, by fastidiousness of taste, by constitutional melancholy and by indolence.    Peter Conn in â€Å"Finding a Voice in an New Nation† discloses a characteristic of Hawthorne’s tyle with regard to his short stories: â€Å"Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place† (82). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is no exception to this rule, being placed in historic Salem, Massachusetts, back in the 1600’s.    Herman Melville in â€Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses,† (in The Literary World August 17, 24, 1850) has a noteworthy comment on Hawthorne’s style:    Nathaniel Hawthorne is a man, as yet, almost utterly mistaken among men. Here and there, in some quiet arm-chair in the noisy town, or some deep nook among the noiseless mountains, he may be appreciated for something of what he is. But unlike Shakespeare, who was forced to the contrary course by circumstances, Hawthorne (either from simple disinclination, or else from inaptitude) refrains from all the popularizing noise and show of broad farce, and blood-besmeared tragedy; content with the still, rich utterances of a great intellect in repose, and which sends few thoughts into circulation, except they be arterialized at his large warm lungs, and expanded in his honest heart.    How beautifully does this critic capture the basic attitude of Hawthorne, who avoids the â€Å"noise and show† and emphasizes his â€Å"rich utterances.

FBI Case Study

The â€Å"Who Killed the Virtual Case File? † case study is a clear example of project failure which resulted on not only balloon the cost of the project, but also loss that could be counted on millions of dollars. Because of the size of the project and the failure of the project, it is broadly used to prevent future IT Project Management disasters. Project Overview: When special agent Larry Depew collected evidence of illegal activity of the Russian and Italian mafia tax skim activity, FBI didn’t have database system, which could organize and support all the information gathering processes that were needed for the organization. A decade later, Depew was landed in his first project management job called FBI Virtual Case File project (VCF), even though he had no previous experience. In the PMBOK Guide book describes what abilities a project manager should possess to successfully manage projects is: knowledge, performance and personal . In the results of lack of experience and ineffective planning the project was unfortunate failure. Because of availability of funds, the FBI’s 23 divisions developed own database system for each of the different divisions. In the result FBI ended up with 45-50 different investigative databases and applications, which are not communicating with each other. Also, the Automated Case Support (ACS) system was cumbersome to use, inefficient and had limited functional capabilities. Additionally all 13000 were really old which resulted in not supporting new software’s. Intranet that connected FBI offices had 56-kilobit-per second modems. SAIC (Applications International Corp. ) for software developed delivered 700,000 lines of code bug-ridden, off target system which resulted in $105 million worth loss. However, researches and findings showed that the FBI—lacking IT management and technical expertise—shares the blame for the project's failure. The research and study later on painted a picture of an enterprise IT project that fell into the most basic traps of software development, from poor requirement gathering, planning and bad communication between software developer and FBI. The key issues related to the failure of the project: * Violation of the Project Scope Management. One of the main factors of VSF project was poorly defined business requirements and overly specific nature of the requirements defined in systems design and analysis phase which resulted in creating 400 functional deficiencies found after testing the system. * Violation of the Project Cost Management The lack of IT investment processes resulted in ballooning the cost of the project in spite of the millions of dollars spending which was the also one of the main reason of VSF project failure. Violation of the Project Time Management Overly ambitious schedules and poorly defined schedule is one of the among VSF project failures. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure The lack of a plan to guide hardware purchases and deployment was one also of the failures of VSF project. Resolution: * The FBI’s higher management will be participating in the new software development to overcome the discrepancies associated with the previous those were VCF project. FBI is planning to purchase software from the vendor to digitize all documents, crime related evidence paperwork processes in the single database and still continue use VCF project systems up until it will be replaced with the desired software. * The new project will deploy and create new monitoring, risk management system which involves planning, scheduling and target oriented testing. Relevance to IT Project Management: * Project Scope Management Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that project includes all the work required, to complete the project successfully. Scope Management includes following steps: clearly defining and documenting project business requirements by the company shareholders (collect requirements), develop a detailed description of the project (define scope), subdivide project deliverables and project work into smaller, manageable components (create WBS), formalize acceptance of the completed project deliverables, and monitoring the status and scope (verify scope), and managing changes to the scope baseline (control scope). FBI’s VSF project failed to define detailed project requirements, formalize acceptance of completed project deliverables by SAIC and monitoring and managing the scope by project manager. * Violation of the Project Cost Management Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget. The cost management process includes: developing an approximation of the monetary resources (estimate costs), estimating costs of the individual activities (determine budget) and monitoring the status of the project budget and managing changes to the cost baseline (control costs). VSF project failed to address cost control in project cost management, because it had possibility to receive funding from the government. * Violation of the Project Time Management. Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage timely completion of the project. It includes following processes: identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables (define activities), identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities (sequence activities), estimating quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity (estimate activity resources), coming up with the approximate number of works periods needed to omplete individual activities with estimated resource (estimate activity durations), analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constrains to create project schedule (develop schedule), and monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and managing changes to the schedule baseline (control schedule). In VSF project most of the required activities in time management FBI m anagement and SAIC failed to follow. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure. Project Risk Management includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning, and monitoring and control on the project. It includes following processes: defining how to conduct risk management activities (planning), determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics (identify risks), prioritizing risks for further analysis and combining their probability of occurrence and impact (perform qualitative risk analysis). Numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives (perform quantitative risk analysis), developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to project objectives (plan risk responses), and implementing risk response plan, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project (monitor and control risk). In the FBI case none of the project risk management was applied to minimize risk associated with the possibility of the failure of the VSF project. Key Takeaways: It is important follow IT project management rules in order to develop the system. Main lessons learnt from the case study: * Business requirement analysis and technical requirements are crucial in the success of the project in planning phase. * Managing communication between companies’ key shareholders and server providers is required for productive outcome of the development. * Project monitoring and testing is vital task and should be accepted throughout the development * Prototypes be shown to client on regular basis to avoid all changes required at the end of the project * Having a individuals without proper knowledge in the rojects leads to the project success * Planning and monitoring leads to delivering the right product and timely completion of the project * Unsystematic approach in project time management could lead to delay in completion of projects * Deficient and unsatisfactory requirements lead to incomplete projects failure Research Approach For my research approach, I used Project Management and body of knowledge to identify main processes of the project management, and applied some basics acquired from the Systems Analysis and Design class to identify where FBI’s VSF project failed to address and manage this huge multimillion dollar project.

Health and Safety Essay

Health and safety in the workplace is not only the responsibility of the designated Health and Safety Officer, it is the duty of all members of staff to be responsible for the safety of everyone they may have to deal with during the working day; both their colleagues and members of the public. The Health and Safety Executive are people whose role is to promote safety in the workplace; both by providing information to employers and their employees, and also by ensuring that rules and guidelines are in use in everyday practice. The employer has a responsibility to follow the regulation which is known as the ‘Health and Safety at Work Act 1974’. This is An Act to make further provision for securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work, for protecting others against risks to health or safety in connection with the activities of persons at work, for controlling the keeping and use and preventing the unlawful acquisition, possession and use of dangerous substances, and for controlling certain emissions into the atmosphere; to make further provision with respect to the employment medical advisory service. The main objectives of this Act are: – Protect the health, safety and welfare of people at work. – Eliminate risks to health and safety at their source. – Protect the public against risks to health and safety caused by people at work It is important to abide by this law because we need to protect people’s health and safety by ensuring risks in the changing workplace are properly controlled. The next act I’m going to write about is ‘The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999’. The main objectives of this act are: You must review risk assessments periodically and make modifications if there are any significant changes in working practices or equipment If safety procedures can ever be improved, appropriate steps should be taken accordingly. You are expected to take reasonable steps to familiarise yourself with the hazards and risks in your workplace. Work must be organised. A set pattern of rules and regulations usually means more systematic work and less chance of accidents. Training should be given in such a way that hazardous situations can be avoided. For example: Lengthening of working day, removal of taking screening breaks etc for meeting deadlines should be avoided. You must ensure that the significant hazards are identified, and that the actual working practices are addressed and if need be, changed so as to reduce any risk. This is both the responsibility of the employer and employee, for example it is the employees responsibility to familiarise themselves with the hazards and risks in their workplace. The 3rd act I’m going to write about is ‘Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995’ It regulates the statutory obligation to report deaths, injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences that take place at work. Responsible persons are generally employers but also include various managers and occupiers of premises. Though the regulations do not impose a specific obligation on employees, they have a general obligation under section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to take care of safety. The Health and Safety Executive recommends that they report incidents to their employer and encourages notification to the relevant authority. Finally I’m going to write about the ‘Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992’ act. These regulations are concerned with the working environment. They place a duty on employers to make sure that the workplace is safe and suitable for the tasks being carried out there, and that it does not present risks to employees and others. This is done by following regulations such as, provision of sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air. An audible fault warning alarm to be fitted to any equipment for this purpose, walls, floors and ceilings to be capable of being kept clean. Wastes not to accumulate, but kept in bins etc and suitable & sufficient facilities to enable persons to eat away from workplace where risk of contamination. Non-smokers to be protected from smoke.